Valve.



A. E. HODGDON.

VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4, 1914. Patented Apr. 4, 1916' 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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A E HODGDON.

VALVE.

PPLIC Tl 7 1,177,864. A A mu m 4 Patented Apr. 4,1916.-

2 SHEET SHEET 2.

flrmzzm g Atto eys ABTEMUS E. HODGDON, OF SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI.

VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

Application filed. April 4, 1914. Serial No. 829,650.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

, Be it known that I, ARTnMUs E. HODGDON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Springfield, in the county of Greene and State ofMissouri, have invented a new and useful Valve, of which the followingis a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in valves, the same beingespecially designed for use as the drifting valve of steam locomotivesand also as a pressure reducing valve for steam, air, or other pressurefluid as well, one object of the invention being the provision of anovel structure which will automatically close a main pressure fluidvalve and thus reduce the pressure directed for operating purposes whenthe mechanism controlled thereby is not running at a maximum speed, thepresent structure being automatic in its action, and especiallyeconomizing steam when the same is used as the drifting valve of alocomotive.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a novelstructure including a piston actuated main valve controlled by a pistonactuated slide valve so that the pressure fluid used to actuate thepiston of the main valve will be led thereto and thereaway from at theproper time.

With the foregoingand other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made with in thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a sectional view through the completestructure with the parts in their normal positions, the main valve beingopen so that the pressure fluid is free to flow through the casing. Fig.2 is a similar view with the main valve closed. Fig. 3 is an enlargedsection taken on line 3-3 of Fig.2. Fig. 4 is a modified form of slidevalve actuating mechanism shown in section. Q

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the valve casingwhich is provided with the inlet pressure directing channel 2 and theoutlet pressure directing channel 4 which is in communication with thefirst channel 2 through the main valve port 3. A valve 5, which is themain valve, is

disposed above the port 3 to open and close said port, the same being acylindrical valve provided with a concentric lower socket 6 for thesliding reception of the upstanding pin 7 which is carried by theadjusting screw 8 carried by the casing below the port 3.

A piston 9 is disposed above and connected to the valve 5 and works inthe reduced portion 10 of a cylinder 10 fitted in the easing 1 toprevent the pressure reaching the underside of a piston 13 disposed forsliding movement in the enlargedportion 11 of the cylinder 10. Thecylinder 10 is fitted in a vertical bore with which the casing 1 isprovided above the channel 4, and a plug 14 is threaded into the upperend of said bore to hold the cylinder 10 therein. The plug 14 has a port15 normally closed by a plug 15. The cylinder 10 has a port leading tothe atmosphere and located adjacent the shoulder between the portions 10and 11. The pistons 9 and 13 and valve 5 are preferably integral, theybeing carried by a reduced portion'or rod 12, and the piston 13 is oflarger diameter than the piston 9 so that the valve 5 will not bebalanced.

The casing has a port 16 led from the pressure fluid directing channel 2intermediate of its inlet end and the port 3, and said port opens intothe lower end of a vertical chamber 17 with which the-casing is provided and the casing has an exhaust port 18 leading from the chamber 17and a pressure fluid directing passage 19 establishing communicationbetween the chamber 17 and the upper end of-the cylinder 10 above thepiston 13. By this means it will be seen that the pressure fluiddirected through the port 16 will enter the passage 19 and thus depressthe plunger or piston 13 so as to cause the valve 5 to assume the closedposition, as'

illustrated inFig. 2.

A combined pressure actuated plunger and stem 20 is mounted for slidingmovement through the packing rings 21 which are suitably mounted withinthe detachable upstanding casing 23 whose threaded end or plug 2 1 isengaged to the casing 1 in the upper end of the chamber '17. A coiledspring 25 is mounted to compress the packing rings 21 while a disk 26seals the upper end of the chamber 17 adjacent the plug 24 and alsomaintains the spring 25 in proper place. The stem 20 is reduced at itslower end Within the chamber 17 to provide the sbouli der 28 at the endand the shoulder 29 so that the valve member 30 may be properlypositioned thereupon and carriedv thereby in its vertical movementwithin the chamber 17. Under normal pressure conditions, the valve 30assumes the upward position, as shown in Fig. 1, at which time the port18 and passage 19 are in communication by way of the by-pass 33 of thevalve 30 and the valve 5 is elevated so that the pressure fluid willflow directly from the channel 2 into the channel 4. The valve 30 isprovided with the segmental head 32, whose outer curved face is recessedto form the by-pass 33, and the valve 30 will close the port 18 from thechamber 17 and open the passage 19 to such chamber when the parts are inthe position as shown in Fig. 2. The valve 30 is slotted as at 31between the wings 31 so that the same will fit astride the reducedportion 27 of the stem 20 and yet permit the passage of pressure fluidat each side of the Wings 31 to the upper end of the chamber 17. Twopins 34 which are adjustably mounted in one side of the casing projectin the chamber 17 and into the slot 31, so that the valve 30 ispermitted a vertical, but prevented from any rotary movement.

In the upper end of the casing or cvlinder 23 is provided a chamber 35in which is mounted for reciprocation, a piston 36 connected to andcarried bv the stein 20, a plug 37 being threaded into the upper'end ofthe casing 23 and provided with a port 38 which is in communicationthrough the pipe 39 and port 40 with the outlet of the channel 4 of themain casing. Pressure fluid is directed into the upper end of thechamber35 to depress the piston 36 to cause the valve 30 to assume the positionas shown in Fig. 2, at which time. the pressure fluid from the channel 2is directed through the port 16 and the chamber 17 into the passage 19above the piston 13, such action depressing the piston 13 and causingthe valve 5 to seat over and close the port This action takes place whenthe mechanism to which the pressure is supplied from the channel 4 is atrest and therefore there is an accumulation of pressure in such channel4. As soon as this condition is relieved, however, the piston 36 iselevated to seat against the apertured seat 4P carried by the plug 38.Thecasing 23 has; a by pass 41 extending downwardly from the plug 37alimited distance. I Thus, when the piston 36 is raised, the lower facethereof passes slightly above the lower end of the bv-pass 41, and thisallows the pressure fluid to pass below the piston 36 to normallyprevent the operation thereof, but should the pressure be increased bythe sudden accumulation of the pressure in the channel 4, the piston 36will be forced downa dlv by the pressureof the fluid flo ingthroughsthepert 8/8. againstthe pistes rectly. The by-pass 41 thusrenders the piston 36 less sensitive during ordinary condipanding willreturn the piston 36 to normal position. If the device is in an invertedposition from that shown-in Figs. 1 and 2, the piston 36 and valve 30will gravitate to normal position, although this can be accom plished bymeans of a spring or in various other manners, which need not beillustrated or described in detail, a spring means, however, beingillustrated in Fig. 4.

Inthe structure shownin Fig. 4, the casing 23 which-corresponds to thecasing 23,=-

carries the stem 20' which inturn carries .the slide valve 30, alongitudinal chamber 42 being provided in which is disposed aspring 43whose lower terminal abuts-the] shouldered portion 44 and whose upper:ter-

minal abuts the under side of the piston :36". As soon as the pressureis relieved from i above the piston, the spring will thus cause thevalve 30" to assume the position, as shown in Fig. 1, the'plug 37 38being provided in this case to permit the direction of the pressurefluid above the piston 36. The packing glands 21 and the spring 25 areemployed as well as the disk 26, all of which correspond to the numerals1 not primed in Figs. 1 and 2.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings, itis evident with a valve constructed according to the with its portpresent invention, that the pressure fluid will be economized when themechanism operated by the pressurefluid-and passing" through thechannels 2 and 4 is drifting, V

and that the same will be automatically cut off from the channel 4 andheld in such condition until the pressure at the opposite side of thevalve 5 is reduced.-

In general practice, when an engine is. drifting, there is a vacuumcreated in the cylinder and consequentlyythe piston heats and pounds, itbeing-necessary to relieve this. by opening the throttle. With thepresent device, it is necessary to :use the throttle, as steam at lowpressure is admitted to-the cylinder to relieve the vacuum when thevalve 5 is held slightly unseated by the pin 7, such amount beinginsuflicient to move the piston after the engine has come. to a halt.

What is claimed is i 7 In a. device of the character described ehaviuginlet andeutletpresmreflmd iso channels, a. port between them, acylinder, a chamber, a port establishing communication between one endof said chamber and the inlet channel, an exhaust port communicatingwith said chamber, and a passage establishing communication between saidchamber and said cylinder, a piston working in said cylinder and havinga valve controlling the first mentioned port, a plug closing thecylinder, a member having a plug at one end engaged Within the other endof said chamber and having a chamber therein, a piston Working withinthe second mentioned chamber, a stem attached to the second mentionedpiston and sliding through said member and projecting into the firstmentioned chamber, an apertured plug closing the second men- Gopies ofthis patent may he obtained for tioned chamber, a pipe connecting thethird mentioned plug and outlet channel, and a slide valve connected tosaid stem and slidable within the first mentioned chamber, said slidevalve having a by-pass to establish communication between the exhaustport' and said passage, and said member having a groove extending plugpast the second mentioned piston when it is adjacent said plug.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ARTEMUS E. HODGDON.

Witnesses:

MARGARET M. VENIL, JEROME OHARA.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0! Patenta, Washington,D. G.

from the third mentioned-

